The inimitable establishment of fine Taiwanese dining, Din Tai Fung, was our destination for our lunch/dinner on Saturday. I've raved about this place before, but we were excited to see that a fifth Sydney branch is opening this week, and that one, in Chatswood, is within easy reach of Novocastrians desiring a real, quality, Taiwanese meal. The taste is superior, the dumplings finely crafted and identical each time, while the signature xiao long bao are perfectly cooked with a soup serving encased inside each dumpling which explodes a little taste bomb at a perfect temperature with each mouthful.

There is another interesting thing about Taiwan's Din Tai Fung restaurants that I would be interested to see if it is replicated in Australia. The wait staff (young people in the main) have a distinct look. Taiwan is well known for its good looking youngsters as well as an abundance of employable young folk seeking jobs. It is noticeable, however, that DTF's staff, while attractive, are never really handsome, or indeed, pretty. It seems the hiring policy is directed at a pleasant looking, efficient type. Our theory (or mine actually!), is that it is neither distracting nor envy inducing for customers of either sex to have such staff, and the status quo of dining can continue unabated.There is an uncanny sameness in the "look" of these young people that bears commenting upon!

I do know that some other things just will not be replicated. The price point for the meal we invariably order is just $1,100NT (about $35A) and I have massive doubt whether the same fare would be anything less than twice that price back home. In addition, the meal in Taiwan is served as a quick eat, not a full-blown sit down, drag out meal and we've only ever seen people have Taiwanese tea as a drinks accompaniment. I would assume that the Australian equivalent would be a longer stay and almost always accompanied by wine or beer: it doesn't really suit the food in our opinion. We've never had a drink apart from tea with our meals here and we haven't longed for anything else.

We had a very relaxing stroll through the suburb to Eddie's Cantina on Sunday afternoon and delighted in the spring weather, sitting on their expansive verandah and relaxing in a cool breeze under clear, blue skies. Again, we're slaves to habit, having locked on to some delectable menu items here as well, so we ordered up just the same after I initially flirted with, then threatened to order, something different!. On the way home we bought a couple of muffins and slices of apple flan for supper, made by the French bakers at Lutetia Bakery round the corner. A small tub of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice-cream from the 7/11 and we were all set....where do we live again?!

Earlier in the afternoon I'd braved the "1,000 steps" of Tienmu Gudao. I find this a good barometer of my overall level of fitness and although I was dreading the worst, I was surprised at my ability to at least keep moving ever upwards and not pausing for a break. Although many minutes off my "PB", I still managed a reasonable time, though my legs are aching today in late protest! The signs at the top of the steps where the path forks off into Macaque country have been unceremoniously dumped in the foliage beside the path. A new artisic impression map of the trail, along with alien looking monkeys, has been imprinted into a large round cement slab instead. The old water trough has been replaced with a rustic, granite chunk of a basin for washing up  and cooling down. The serenity up top, as well as the sense of accomplishment never wanes, and, as I often do when I reach the summit, I exhorted myself to do this more regularly.

The heady scent of freshly scythed grass, the lulling trickle of water and the lurking threat of monkey action is an intoxicating mix, especially on such a fine spring day. On the way down, I marvelled at some of the clever bush engineering, the lattice work made from bamboo, twigs and vines for the market gardens and the intricate, irrigation schemes channeling precious water across terraces, then spilling into muddy furrows and tiny dams along the way.

Our friend, Wal, experienced the wonderful, caring and honest nature of the Taiwanese yet again this weekend. Losing his wallet with all his cards and the cash equivalent of a month of local wages, it has been found, handed in, intact! He just needs to make his way down to a station in the south of the city to collect it. On a related but lesser note, check the photo up top of a scoop conveniently hung on a hook on a tree along the trail: brand new, obviously just bought to be used to "scoop the poop". How long would this last anywhere else?!

Photos: a pensive Dave, photos of the trail. None of my usual model today....she must be getting shy! Cass is reading the second Harry Hole book, Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo, while I'm still enjoying a reprised fascination with Charles Manson!

P.S. We both had very quiet birthday celebrations recently, but were thrilled that a few people still remembered to send us a card, message, shout out etc. Thank you to everyone!

After twelve and a half years here in Taipei and our predilection for exploration in and beyond the city environs most weekends and holidays, it would be feasible to assume that we'd seen just about everything the place has to offer. However, not only has the city completely redesigned itself from the belching hulk it was when we first arrived, but it also continually re-invents and rejuvenates public spaces as demand from the population is ever louder for usable, friendly outside recreational areas.

The aforementioned Youbike system is just one example and, as I've commented, new stations are popping up like wildflowers on a Western Australian desert. The associated bike-ways are expanding and improving, and parks and open spaces are becoming more accessible: therefore, greatly in need of renovation as well.

One such site is Yuanshan Park, which was completely transformed a few years ago from an uninspiring, hot field of concrete with some straggly, tired looking bushes, into a wonderland of vertical gardens and carpets of exotic flowers for the International Floral Festival. In the last 18 months, it has been completely transformed yet again despite Cass and I being completely oblivious to the improvements as they took place a little away from our oft beaten path.

The crumbling soccer stadium had been re-purposed as an exhibition hall for the Floral Festival but had become so popular for other visiting shows that the city realized a need for other services. They have transformed the rear of the stadium (which used to host a skate-park where I broke my wrist!) into a vast indoor/outdoor eating and bar and relaxation area. There is a huge cantilevered roof soaring high above and out, giving an outdoor vibe but still protection from the weather.

Nestled underneath are all manner of al-fresco bars and restaurants and cafes, with trees and water features and wide open spaces sprinkled liberally between them. We went to the Three Lions Bar on Friday night to toast Trevor, a Kiwi who has worked at the school with us for years, but who is moving back to NZ next year. Trev was keen to show off his "find" and we were most impressed with the whole set-up. Prior to drinking at the Three Lions, he'd also taken us to another of his "secret spots": this one a hole-in-the-wall fried chicken joint, which would make Henny Penny blush with the freshness and lip smacking flavour it greeted us with.

Harking back to the outdoor space, one of the most amazing sections of the whole place was the toilet area. There was the biggest two-sided urinal I have ever seen, with walls of plants on either side screening the spot from passing eyes: it felt like a real "back to nature" experience, despite the dull roar of nearby Chung Shan traffic!

Cass and I ventured across to SOGO on Saturday afternoon for what is becoming our trademark "luncheon-dinner", where we combine two meals for the day at an odd hour, mainly to beat the Saturday evening dining crowds. The Thai restaurant at the top of the building has the most delectable roasted eggplant amongst other classic dishes! Of course we combined our trip with a little shopping where we checked out the early summer temptations from Uniqlo. I ended up getting a linen/cotton short sleeved shirt for work as well as two more T-shirts....they are so cheap, it's very hard to go away empty handed. We've read that Uniqlo is opening its first Australian store soon, but that the price point will be higher to match the "Australian consumer expectations"....I'm glad Taipei consumer expectations are so cutthroat!

Cass is struggling away with her latest book club selection, Silent House by Orhan Pamuk, but finds it rather a dirge. I, on the other hand, am delighting in the book Gurecki sent me for my birthday, yet another biography on Charles Manson, "His Life and Times". I have now read four books about this nutter: it's a compelling tale! Photos: painted train, Cassy's class arena, a fat cat(6 kg!), homeless in the underpass still have etiquette, outdoor urinal, plants and bars, the Thai restaurant and an indoor water feature.

It's an interesting experience arriving back at work after a week off. The mental strain of dealing with all those people, students and colleagues, is enervating! Cass also has had to deal with a sub teacher in for her close teaching partner so that has been an added strain after his father-in-law died unexpectedly last weekend. I've had a few laughs: my long-time companion, Chee Chee the monkey is still being farmed out to one of my students once in each 10 day cycle, and increasingly has morphed into an androgynous being, especially by some of the more independent minded girls. One of them made him a lovely wig this time after making him a dress in her previous babysitting stint. This monkey again travelled far and wide, this time going to Hawaii! Over the years this monkey has travelled more than we have (15 different countries by my rough count): perhaps in our next lives we'll come back as cute stuffed animals on class assignments in an international school!

Cassy has turned my birthday into something of an extravaganza this year and has stretched it out beyond the single day or weekend. She started by making me my favourite delicious banana cake and has bought me white bread for my toast and used some of our precious (dwindling) stock of Anchovette to go on it. We're devouring the cake as slowly as we can, yet I always seem to be delivered of an enormous slab while she has just a sliver!

I'd had a football fest with some different drinking buddies on Friday night as Wal was away at his annual coaching tournament in Jakarta and managed to watch a good part of two AFL and two NRL games: too much football is never enough! They weren't all quite my cup of tea, so I was glad to have the football as a distraction to the conversation.

We went down to Macaroni Grill in Minsheng Rd downtown on Saturday night, ostensibly for "my" birthday, but mainly as Cassy had wanted to go last week yet we couldn't seem to fit it in. It was superb as usual and again, we had trouble (in fact we didn't!) tearing ourselves away from our previously identified favourites. We did demur on the lemon cake we usually have though, as we wanted to have another slice of banana cake when we got home.

On Sunday we went across to the "Wovie" cinema to see "The Grand Budapest Hotel". Wow, what a cinematic treat this turned out to be. It was awash with sumptuous sets, extravagant costuming and the cleverest, most engaging dialogue. The direction was seamless and the premise didn't overstay its welcome. It reminded us both a little bit of Tarantino's masterful "Inglourious Basterds" in its almost comic book style of cinematography and I had flashbacks of kids' movie "Hugo" as well, about the little kid living alone in Montparnasse railway station. Suffice to say, it was a thoroughly delightful experience and a perfect end to our weekend evening...we recommend it!

I encouraged Cass to take up an offer of another ad audition earlier in the week after her agent, Jo, recommended her for another spot, this time in an ad for Thermos. Her last ad played to a potential audience of 100s of millions in China after a brief run on TV here, so it's lots of fun. She was to play the part of an "older"(!) woman being wooed by a similarly mature man playing love songs on his guitar for her as they sat side-by-side on a park bench. She told me that she also had to "European" kiss him on each cheek after he played! She enjoyed the whole exciting vibe down in the studio and was quite looking forward to the ad if she made it through. The production house, however, decided at the last minute to change the script completely and not have any foreigners in the ad...the foibles of show business! Maybe next time...

I decadently went ahead and booked myself a personal day for my birthday and after a punishing start I've had a very lazy day, thanks very much. I got up early to do my yearly push up challenge: Cass says that I should do fewer each year as I get older, but I'm managing to do one more each time....I must admit the last few were very hard! Here it is.

Photos: the spiders are still pretty big in Taiwan...spotted in a classroom across the hall from mine. Chee Chee adorned with wig, Macaroni Grill and a close up of Cassy's earrings featuring a variety of stones: amethyst, ruby, tourmaline, topaz, diamonds and pearls!

The twisted concrete tentacles of Expressway 1 heading to Nantou were not only a feng shui master's worst nightmare, they were doing our head in as well. The GPS couldn't read the multiple roads and levels as they swept in and around, up and over each other slowly choking the will from the unsuspecting motorist as careering metal hurtled on either side, cascading in and out, appearing from nowhere and disappearing just as rapidly while we puttered along at a sedate 110 km/h!

Ah, the joys of motoring holidays along the expressways of Taiwan's west coast! Despite the fact that there are two mirror image massive arteries (the "1" and the "3") criss-crossing and intertwining their way down the conurbation of the western side of the island, despite the fact that five years of building extra fly-overs on the "1" which confuse the satellite navigation added four extra lanes, we were still caught in a maelstrom of metal juggernauting its way from city to city. Our destination, the polar opposite tranquility of Sun Moon Lake, couldn't come soon enough!

Our hotel was a jewel sparkling beside the Shuishe wharf, a shining landmark that could be seen everywhere we went around the circumference of the lake. Our second floor room had floor to ceiling windows in the main room and the bathroom framing the landscape, cantilevered as it was above the water drawing the eye inexorably over the water to the misted mountains on the far side of the lake. It was a Chinese watercolour burst into life! The room was king bedded for slumber, Hermes bathroom supplied for pampering and Evian watered to slake the thirst. It was pretty slick! After depositing the car in the central township car-park we got out and about in the wharf and the town to stretch the legs and free the tension of the octopus highway.

Over the next few days, we made the most of our location and serenity to enjoy everything the small township had to offer. We strolled to our heart's content, circumnavigated the lake on pushbikes and ate at 6 star hotel restaurants. When we'd had enough, we were able to decadently retire to our hotel haven and watch the dexterous parking feats of the dozens of motor launches lolling in front, their jockeying and docking a thing of exemplary timing, skill and wonder.

Hiring two bikes for the day (at the princely sum of $5 each, all day, no deposit!) was a master-stroke, as we got to see the lake close up and through the different lenses the day proffered, from misty cloud drifts, to bright searing sun and back again to flecks of rain and fog that rolled in with a physical force. The bikes were geared correctly for the mainly flat paths, which were well built, maintained and engineered. The path was built out over water a lot of the time and snaked its way around the northern and western shores. When we got to a more precarious mountainous section, we even had to rush to the rescue of a poor old fellow who was trapped beneath his motor scooter after a fall: he wasn't real steady on his feet and we suspected he'd been on "the nut"!

Our boat trip later in the day was another classic; while I grabbed fleeting snatches of the Chinese commentary, it was pretty much a blur as we heard the history and significance of the miniscule but impossibly gorgeous Lalu island on the far side of the lake. Later on in our journey, after heading to and berthing at Ita Thao wharf, the message was all too clear: no more boat travel till the fog lifted and it certainly didn't look like happening anytime soon! After a half hour of waiting, we abandoned ship like most others and tried to find alternative transport to return. Eventually, with the help of the Visitor's Centre, we headed up through the touristy alleys to the main highway and caught a bus back to our wharf.....a great adventure as the bus had to stop on every other bend to let other buses pass by....memories of Taroko Gorge!

We didn't stay at the luxurious, six star Lalu for two reasons: one, they were fully booked on one night we wanted and two, we decided it was too expensive. If the meal we ate at their restaurant is any guide, the expense would have been worth it. During the day, we wandered up the hill to book our table then arrived in the early evening for what would prove to be an elegant and leisurely gourmet experience, where I must admit we felt more gourmand by its close! The seven course taste sensation was an experience for all the senses, the simple refined wooden furniture felt solid and luxurious, the smells wafting from  the open kitchen as well as the lake views from the screened windows enchanted. There was a hum of soft conversation and the flash and sear of cooking oils, but it was the tastes, oh the tastes that caressed us during our stay. One of the many(surprising) highlights was being served, along with our tender beef fillet, a whole head of roasted garlic with up to 15 plump cloves nestled within...Suffice to say, it was, as Cassy remarked as we savoured our bottle of Tyrell's Cabernet Sauvignon, "one of the best meals I've ever had."

On our way the next morning, the "closed for maintenance" sign on the ropeway gondola we hoped was not a presage for our return trip. As it turned out, it meant little other than we will need to make a return trip someday to try the ropeway and to sample the new "skyway" path being built on vertiginous platforms hugging the most inaccessible sections of the lake. The freeways, although still presenting their challenges on the way home, seemed calmer, possibly only because of our recent experience.

Cassy celebrated her birthday on Saturday and I gave her this book, which she seemed quite chuffed with, along with some earrings she designed herself and had Joe make. They are quite the work of art, but I might save a description till after I consult with her more closely on the details! We went to the slick "Saffron" on Sunday afternoon to celebrate and now, of course, we're back at school, and totally exhausted after our first day back!

For future reference, (mainly our own!) here are links to the slideshow, the dockside vid and the lookout video.